Maverick
by rurouni
Summary: You don't know what she'll do next. What happens when she crosses paths with Mitsui? New edit
1. It's A Girl

**Maverick**

**1. It's a Girl**

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"It's a girl."

His raspy voice was scornful, the harsh tone matching his words. The petite young mother who cradled the newborn in her arms sobbed quietly, barely managing to choke out the words, "I'm sorry."

The first addition to the Taji family was a girl, and her father seemed unable to forgive her for it. Taji Akiko. Her father didn't like her; or more accurately, he despised and hated her. Her mother ignored her after giving birth to her three younger brothers in quick succession. Akiko was thrown into the background, but she survived, aided my an innate desire to live and grow stronger.

Akiko. Autumn child. But she pulsed with life as thought it were spring. She was so different from other girls – quiet when they were cheerful and smiling, rough when they were gentle, and tough when they were crying. She also looked rather different.

_Father doesn't like me because I'm a girl._ Even five-year-old Akiko knew that. And more than that, she knew that if she ever said this aloud, he would never like her. She stood in front of the mirror one day when her mother was out grocery shopping, her father at work, and her brothers in the living drawing on the floor with bright crayons – something she was sure to bear the brunt of the punishment for later in the afternoon. Taking a deep breath, she took a lock of her hair and snipped it off with her mother's sewing scissors. Hair fell to the ground, in wispy black strands. Thus it was that five-year-old Akiko chopped off her locks in hope of becoming accepted.

"It's a girl!"

The voice was incredulous. The boys in the playground laughed. The girls sitting at the edge giggled. Akiko stood alone under the falling sakura blossoms. Her short hair distinguished her. Though not in the way she wanted. Her father still hated her. Her mother still ignored her. Her brothers still teased her. Her schoolmates joined the ranks. But she wanted short hair. It seemed to her it was a lesser evil – bearing the teasing for short hair instead of the fact that she was a girl, an unwanted girl.

~rurouni


	2. More Than Just A Girl -- And A Promise

**Maverick**

**2. More Than Just a Girl -- And a Promise**

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"Hi, I'm Akiko."

Taji Akiko looked at her reflection in the mirror, and repeated the line once again. She was getting ready for her first day of high school. On the surface, it seemed as thought little had changed – her father still hated her, her mother continued disregarding her existence, and her brothers persisted in teasing her. This, despite all her efforts at winning their approval: excellence in aikido and report cards with strings of As.

Shohoku High School's gates were large and imposing. Akiko found her way, miraculously, into her classroom.

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Her skirt was torn. Her nose was bloody. Her eyes were angry and fierce. Blood ran down from a cut near her lip. She didn't care, and neither did he. "Spunky, aren't you?" He would regret it, she promised herself, launching a counterattack and landing a kick squarely on his lower jaw.

He had not expected it – not from a girl. Mitsui clutched his jaw and forced himself to refrain from wincing in pain. This prize was proving to be a little hard to get. He had not expected a roundhouse kick from a girl. She would yield, he promised himself.

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Her first day at high school had ended, and Taji Akiko walked home, and made a wrong turn into a deserted street. Bad choice.

"She's just a girl. Year One too. Scrawny. Let's go."

Mitsui was mistaken. Year Ones used to fights with brothers were not chickenfeed.

Akiko was against the wall, and an ill-fitting brick pressed into her back as she was mercilessly pushed against it. Mitsui laughed, making obvious the gap where his two front teeth should have been. His nose had stopped bleeding, but the dark red stain made him look sinister. His left hand started downward from his grip around her throat.

And suddenly, she smiled.

Mitsui dropped her to the ground, more out of surprise that of actual intent. She smiled at him. She lay there on the ground, unmoving. Still smiling.

"Let's go. She's not worth it," an impatient gang member urged, stomping out the last of a cigarette. "Playtime's over, Mitsui."

Mitsui put his mouth near her ear, and whispered, "I'll be back, I promise."

Akiko glared at him, thinking, "brave words from a gangster who had got hit by a girl." She smiled at their backs as they left the alley.

A smile could be so powerful, so unarming. She knew that from experience; her three brothers did not quite know what to make of it when she smiled despite a bloody nose or bruised lip. But her smile, to her, had another meaning. _I'll get back at you when you least expect it. And that will satisfy me_.

"I promise too. And this time, you're paying." She was a maverick. Definitely. You didn't know what she would do next.

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**Author's Notes:**  
I'm in the midst of examinations right now, so bear with me! ^__^ I'll try to update, but they'll come few and far between. Sorry... Anyway, as usual, hope to see reviews! *grin* Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapter!

Now, on to the replies. Due to time constraints, I shan't endeavor to type out all the names of the reviewers, so I'll be giving a general reply to your comments/questions/etc. Sorry, I won't be so evil the next time ^__^ (updating during hectic study periods comes at a price) Well, Mitsui will be the main SD character featured here, so you can expect a lot more of him. I don't know about the others... maybe the occasional appearance or something! I'm guessing that you're probably nodding to yourself, and thinking you know where this fic is going... sorry for the all-too-typical beginning - I hope to add a twist or two in future. But I won't be making a complicated plot, since I've said already that this is going to be short. Kinda like a breather while my brain rests from cranking out chapters for my long fics! ^__^ Thanks again to all reviewers! I really appreciate the time you took to read _and _review! ^__^ Arigatou gozaimasu! Thank you for the encouragement, support and comments. (Oh, and one more thing - I don't write corny stuff... at least, not _yet. _*grin*)

till next time!

~rurouni


	3. A Promise -- Make It, Don't Break It

**Maverick**

**3. A Promise - Make It, Don't Break It**

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Nothing had changed. Her father still hated her. Her mother still ignored her. Her brothers still teased her. And were jealous of her.

School was more than fine, despite initially getting more than her fair share of scrutinizing gazes due to her haircut (and black eye after the first day of classes). Things seemed as though they were going to be fine.

And then she met him again. Mitsui Hisashi. Their paths had not crossed since that day in the alley.

"Mitsui," she spat out his name. The tall boy turned, surprised at the vengeance in the female voice. His hair was short now, the spaces between his teeth filled. He looked different, but he was definitely Mitsui.

That girl. He didn't even know her name. But he remembered her – her fire, her fighting spirit, her ferocity. All of which he had not expected, but had quietly admired. Not that he had chosen to express this appreciation of her distinctly unfeminine (at least, to the traditional or stereotypical mind) characteristics.

Unexpectedly, Mitsui bowed.

Akiko, for once, was at a lost for words.

"I was a fool. And I see it now. Please forgive me."

Mitsui seemed contrite. And he had done the unthinkable, for a gangster, at least. But why? Why this change?

"Mitsui! Hurry up! Gori's going to blow if you don't show up!" a voice was heard before a redhead, clutching a basketball, was sighted around the corner.

So, he was a basketball player now. Perhaps he had really changed.

"Forgiven."

That one word coming from her was like music to his ears, and he smiled the brightest smile she had ever witnessed. She smiled back.

"Thanks. No hard feelings, okay?" he called back at her as he jogged off, giving her a thumbs-up, "Catch you later!"

She could have beat him into a pulp. But she knew a change when she saw one. And she knew contriteness when she saw it. And Mitsui had changed. And he had been contrite. And she forgave him. Because revenge would have been pointless. Now, she could smile. For real happiness. It would have been better if her family had the same respect for her that Mitsui had. Maybe she should start issuing threats as well. She almost laughed as she walked away. Walked away from the sounds of a basketball, or two, or three, bouncing on the hard court.

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**Author's Notes:**  
This turned out really short, I guess. Hope you enjoyed reading anyway!

Thanks to jeano, Nellie, renei, Joy, maemi, tensaispira, super rookie, cookies, White-angel, DiaBLo and angelwings for your reviews!

A few reviewers commented on the lack of detail in this fic, but it was an experiment of mine to give a vauge and sketchy description here, to let the reader fill in some gaps and imagine. The details I did give were to emphasize the change that both Mitsui and Akiko went through over the years, which are featured in this last chapter. Thanks for the feedback anyway! I really appreciate it!

I'm not sure if I'm going to let this fic stop here forever. I may continue it, like I have others, or write a sequel. In any case, I'll email you if I ever do. Thanks again for your support and encouragement, and I hope you'll continue to read my writing!

~rurouni


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